Scientific Travels, Textbooks, Popularization and Controversies in the European Periphery

6th STEP meeting
Istanbul, 19, 20, 21 June 2008

P R O G R A M M E   A N D   P A P E R S

• See the programme and sessions here...
• Read pre-circulated papers here... (password required)

All participants should read pre-circulated papers to ensure high standards of discussion during the meeting. Each author will have 10 minutes to present his/her paper. At the meeting, sessions will turn around the presentation of main results, commentary and ensuing discussion.

A I M S   O F   T H E   M E E T I N G

The 6th STEP meeting has a double aim: to revisit old themes and to start discussing a new theme: scientific controversies. The meeting will provide a good opportunity to further our understanding of themes (travels, textbooks and popularization of science in the European periphery) on which we have made progress (see STEP publications) and, at the same time, open for discussion the topic of scientific and technological controversies in (or involving) the European periphery.

Old themes will be discussed in the format of round-tables. Round-tables involving 5 participants will be organized by the Scientific Committee. Besides a chairperson they will include 4 rapporteurs, 2 selected by the Scientific Committee and 2 who submit their application through the call for papers. The chairperson will provide a summary of what has been accomplished in the aforementioned STEP volumes, and make some additional comments on potential extensions, on weak points and on issues that can be worked out more analytically in view of the discussions that have taken place in relation to STEP's other research topics. This report will previously be provided to the other participants of the round table who will comment on the report. Then there will be discussion, followed by synthetic closing by the chairperson.

The chosen new topic is Scientific and Technological Controversies in the European Periphery. Papers on the new topic will follow the format of previous meetings. Accepted papers will be organized in session (3-4 papers plus a comment). Papers are pre-circulated and just a summary will be provided during the STEP meeting to allow for ample discussion.

Controversies have been part of the daily life of scientists. They are disputes relatively extended in time formulated publicly, which involve different levels of disagreement (empirical, theoretical or ontological) and aim at convincing not only direct opponents but also specific audiences. In fact, they often impinge on the practice of the scientific community to such an extent that scientists may question the validity of criteria used in assessing claims of contending parties as well as criteria invoked when controversies eventually come to a closure.

While there is an extensive literature on scientific controversies they have seldom been addressed from the point of view of the European periphery. Controversies are instances of science-in-action which are particularly suited to highlight the dependence of science from local contexts, in their multiple social, cultural, political, institutional, and religious dimensions as well as from the idiosyncrasies of individual contenders particularly vis-à-vis the cognitive dimensions of science. Therefore, they appear particularly suited to assess the specificities of the practices of appropriation of science throughout time and across disciplines in different sites of the European Periphery.

S T E P

Founded in 1999 in Barcelona, the international STEP group is organizing its 6th meeting. This meeting will be hosted by the Chair for the History of Science of Istanbul University. Topics addressed in former meetings include scientific and technological travels, textbooks, popularization of science and technology in the European periphery and national historiographies of science. All thematic meetings attempt to strike a balance between the analysis of different case studies and historiographical reflections, with the purpose of building a framework in which comparative studies will be assessed. For further details see www.uoa.gr/step.